Palletized bathtubs, etc.



J. E. STORCK ET AL PALLETIZED BATHTUBS, ETC.

June 12, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 4, 1959 INVENTORS JACK E. STORCK 8 BISHOP F. CALLAHAN ATTORNEY June 12, 1962 J. E. STORCK ETAL 3,038,661

PALLETIZED BATHTUBS, ETC. Filed Sept. 4, 1959 I 2 Shets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS JACK E. STORCK 8 BISHOP F. CALLAHAN WKAWW ATTORNEY nited States I This invention relates to palletized bathtubs and to an end cushion for use in the same.

The bathtubs are of enameled sheet metal. They are palletized without their aprons which may be attached when the tubs have reached their destination. There may be tabs on the rim of the tubs to be interlocked in slots in a flange at the top of the apron, or the aprons may be attached to the tubs in any desired manner, or the tubs may be apronless.

The pallet may be of any usual design with a flat upper surface. The tubs are inverted and stacked, one on top of the other, there being anywhere from four to ten or more on each pallet. Retaining walls of any suitable kind may be formed on the pallet to keep the tubs erect and protect the enamel.

The spacers used in palletizing the tubs are advantageously made from corrugated board, preferably two ply, altho other cushioning material may be used. Long strips of the corrugated board are laid over the bottom of each tub to prevent its being scratched by the tub above it.

There is a single end spacer at each end of each tub. It is made of a single piece of corrugated board with a generally rectangular central panel. Crushed narrow areas of the corrugated board separate two wings from the upper portion of the panel. And similar crushed areas at the edges of the lower portion of the panel form a wing on each side thereof. These lower wings are folded into triangles with the shortest edges farthest from the panel. The wings attached to the upper and lower portion of the panel on each side of it can be moved independently of one another.

One of these end spacers rests on the bottom of the rim at each end of the tub. The wings extending from the upper portion are folded against the bottom side of the end of the tub and separate it from the inside of the tub above it. The triangles, resting on the under side of the rim of the bottom tub, support the tub above'thern.

The different spacers may be crushed in various narrow areas, a fraction of an inch wide, to facilitate folding them to conform to the shape of the tub.

The invention will be further described in connection with the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of palle-tized inverted bathtubs, the bottom of the top tub being shown in phantom;

FIGURE 2 is a view on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, showing an end view of the bottom tubs, and a vertical section thru the two top tubs;

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of a single inverted tub with a set of spacers on it;

FIGURE 4 is an isometric view of one end spacer; and

FIGURE 5 is a section on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

Each spacer is advantageously made of two-ply corrugated board altho for simplicity FIGURES 35 indicate that single ply corrugated board is used.

The bottom of a tub is not generally symmetrical the front wall being steeper than the back wall. In stacking such tubs, alternate tubs are reversed, so that the front edge of one tub is directly over the back edge of the next tub. This is done so that the tubs stack vertically, and not on a slant. This is illustrated in the drawings. The front rim of each tub is turned down ,at J

and under to rest on an apron, and the edge of the rest of the rim is turned up.

The base of the pallet is formed of two long boards 1, several cross boards 2, and skids 3. Corner members 5, cross members 6 and a metal band 7 complete the frame. Sheets of corrugated board 8 at the sides of each tier of tubs and sheets 9 at the ends protect the enamel of the tubs, particularly at the rim. The corners of the tubs are held in position by the corner members 5.

Several narrow strips of corrugated paper 11, 12, 13 and 14 (preferably crushed in spaced narrow areas to facilitate bending) are laid over the bottom of each tub, and the tub above rests on them. The strips form a cushion spacer between the tubs.

The end spacers 20, comprise a generally rectangular panel 21. Narrow crushed areas 23 extend along each side of this panel separating it from the upper wings 25 and the lower wings or pads 26. The pads 26 are triangular, the shortest side 28 being farthest from the panel 21. These pads are formed by folding several thicknesses of the corrugated board, and are held together in any suitable manner, as by tapes or staples (not shown). The lower portion of the end spacer including the pads 26 rests on the bottom of the rim at each end of the tub. The upper portion of each end spacer is bent slightly toward the tub and folded over its bottom to protect it from the tub above it. The pads 26 support each upper tub.

The pads 26 stop just short of the side edge of the rim of the tub if these are bent down, or down and back (as at 40 in FIG. 3). If the edge of the rim is turned up (as at 41 in FIG. 3) at the end and along the side of the tub it does not interefere with locating the pad.

What we claim:

1. In combination with a pallet a tier of inverted elongated bathtubs thereon, at least one relatively narrow cushion spacer resting on the bottom of each tub and extending out from between the tubs on each side thereof; and two separate end spacers between each two tubs, each being of stiff cushioning material and extending from substantially one side of the pallet to the other, said spacers resting on the bottom of the lower of said two inverted tubs of the tier, one at each end thereof, with the upper portion of each spacer extending up between said two tubs and separating the upper laterally i'irom the lower of said two tubs, each end spacer having at each edge of the bottom portion thereof a pad of said cushioning material formed by folding the same upon itself on which pad the upper of said two tubs rests.

2. In combination with a pallet, a tier of inverted elongated bathtubs thereon, and at each end of each tub except the top one an end spacer of stiff cushioning material which rests on the lower of each two adjacent tubs and extends up between it and the upper of said two tubs separating them laterally, with a support at each end of each spacer formed by folding the cushioning material on itself which support rests on the bottom of the rim of the lower of said two tubs and on which the upper of each said two tubs rests.

3. An end spacer formed of a single sheet of stiff cushioning material for use in palletizing bathtubs which is composed of cushioning material, and includes a generally rectangular central panel, a wing hingedly mounted on each side of the upper portion of said panel, and a wing hingedly attached to each side of the lower portion of said panel and folded into a support for a bathtub, said wings on each side of the panel being integral with the panel and movable independently of one another.

4. A spacer composed of a single piece of corrugated paper, for use in palletizing bathtubs, said spacer comprising a central panel, a wing on each side of the upper portion of the panel, a wing on each side of the lower portion of the panel folded to a triangle and held in this position, the side of the triangle farthest from the edge of the panel to which it is attached being shorter than the other two sides and being substantially as distant from the panel as the outer edge of the wing above it, the wing and triangle on each side of the panel being individually pivotally movable with respect to the panel.

5. A package of nested elongated bathtubs with an end spacer between the ends of each two tubs, each such spacer being formed from a sheet of flexible cushioning material of uniform thickness and comprising a singleply upper portion between walls of adjacent tubs which separates them laterally, and a lower portion in which each end of the sheet material is folded, back on itself and provides support means between rims of adjacent tubs which separate them vertically.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,015,380 Dister Jan. 23, 1912 1,154,688 Bale Sept. 28, 1915 1,468,748 Sohurnan Sept. 25, 1923 2,665,806 Budd Jan. 12, 1954 2,733,851 Van Ness Feb. 7, 1956 2,750,032 Laird June 12, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,038,601 June 12,

Jack E. Storck et a1.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4, line 1, after "folded" strike out the comma.

Signed and sealed this 25th day of September 1962.

(SEAL) Attest:

DAVID L. LADD ERNEST W. SWIDER Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

